Logan Lerman’s new interview for VMan

THE YOUNG STARS OF THIS FALL’S ’90S FLASHBACK THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER OFFER A GLIMPSE OF HOLLYWOOD’S FUTURE

PHOTOGRAPHY COLLIER SCHORR
FASHION JAY MASSACRET

LOGAN LERMAN
Age: 20 Birthday: January 19, 1992 Hometown: Los Angeles

How do you relate to your Perks character? How do you differ?
I enjoy writing and music like Charlie does, but honestly I don’t feel that we’re very similar. That’s actually what made this role so interesting for me. I’m definitely not as introverted or neurotic as Charlie! He is very naïve. I don’t think I was like that at that age.

What was the first book that you felt had a deep impact on you? What was the most recent that’s had a similar effect?
I’d have to say The Giving Tree, it was such a simple but profound book. The Great Gatsby too. I recently read David Sedaris’s When You Are Engulfed in Flames.

Besides acting,how else do you express yourself?
I love to play music, that’s the main way. But I love writing as well.
How did you get into the early ’90s mind-set?
Other than having to use a tape deck during filming, I don’t feel as if I necessarily had to change my mind-set. with the ’90s having been portrayed in the media so much anyway, I guess I already had a familiarity with the time period. Youth culture will always be youth culture, but it’s definitely different with the Internet, social media, and everyone being constantly connected.

What major message of  The Perks of Being a Wallflower do you connect with most?
I most connected with the idea that you should be able to do what you want to do and be who you want to be and not worry so much about conformity—especially the conformity that comes with regional affiliation.

What excites you most about a future in film and acting? What scares or intimidates you most?
The idea of continuing to work with great filmmakers is always so exciting to me. What scares me the most is that I have a career in acting.

What role does music play in your life? How do you discover new music? What are your favorite bands?
Music plays a HUGE role in my life, it’s the way I unwind and express myself. It’s very therapeutic to me, and playing music after reading a script helps me sort of tonally figure out the role I’m about to play. Friends tell me about great new music, and I search through the Genius part of iTunes too. I’m really into Arcade Fire, Neil Young, the Strokes, the Velvet Underground, and the Rolling Stones.